The Tempest
by William Shakespeare
Start Here
The Ancient Egyptians are thought to have introduced one of the first types of sailing vessel back in 3400 BC. These ships were made of wood from acacia or sycamore trees and featured a single mast with a square sail, which powered the ship alongside a series of oars.
Try to label the parts of a regular sailing ship.
William Shakespeare's The Tempest, was first performed in 1611. Even after so many years, the play continues to entertain readers and audience with its unique blend of a conspiracy, magic and humour.
Comprehension
Read and answer
1. Match the following.
=
|
Column A |
Column B |
|---|---|
|
a. Alonso |
i. present Duke of Milan. [e] |
|
b. Ferdinand |
ii. earlier Duke of Milan. [c] |
|
c. Prospero |
iii. King of Naples. [a] |
|
d. Gonzalo |
iv. brother of the King of Naples. [f] |
|
e. Antonio |
v. son of the King of Naples. [b] |
|
f. Sebastian |
vi. daughter of the earlier Duke of Milan. [g] |
|
g. Miranda |
vii. an older statesman. [d] |
2. Fact file.
❐ Write three facts that you know about Ariel.
= Three facts that I know about Ariel are -
i. Ariel was the servant of the witch Sycorax who was banished from Algiers for doing things too horrible to mention.
ii. The witch imprisoned Ariel in a split pine tree because Ariel refused to obey her. Ariel was imprisoned for twelve years in great pain inside the tree. Then the witch died and left Ariel there.
iii. It was Prospero who freed Ariel from there.
❐ Write two facts about the ship.
= Two facts about the ship are -
i. The ship fell in the storm created by the spell made by Ariel.
ii. It was ultimately safe and hidden in a deep cove of the harbour by Ariel.
❐ Write three facts about Miranda.
= Three facts about Miranda are -
i. She was the daughter of the earlier Duke of Milan, Prospero twelve years ago.
ii. They had been forced to leave their kingdom and take shelter in the island.
iii. She was frequently hypnotized by her father's magic spell and fell asleep and woke up as per her father's wish.
3. Which of the following statements is supported by information in the passage?
a. All the people aboard the ship died in
the storm. [ ]
b. None of the passengers died. [✓]
c. Only the King of Naples died in the storm. [ ]
4. Which of the following statements would the author of the passage most likely agree to?
a. People in the courts lived a simple and peaceful life. [ ]
b. The kings were never afraid of being dethroned.
[ ]
c. Life in the courts of kings was full of conspiracy and intrigue. [✓]
Reference to context
5. "You're in the way. Keep to your cabins! You're only helping the storm."
a. Who says this to whom?
= Bosun, a sailor, says this to Alonso, the King of Naples.
b. Is this the usual way of addressing the listener?
= This is definitely not the usual way of addressing the listener. After all the listener is the King of Naples. But the sailors are busy in keeping the ship under control in the hazard of the storm. They were in hurry. So they could not keep calm of mind and say properly to the king.
c. How was the listener 'helping the storm'?
= The listener was in the way of the sailors' work. The ship fell in the violent storm. It was very tough to keep the ship under control But at that time Alonso came in the way of the sailors' haste. This only delayed the work of the sailors' effort and make the storm successful to turn the ship down. Thus the listener was 'helping the storm'.
6. "They are in love with each other, so I must make this more difficult so he'll value 'the prize' more."
a. Who are 'they'?
= 'They' are Miranda, daughter of Prospero and Ferdinand, Prince of Naples and son to Alonso.
b. How is the speaker making things more difficult?
= The speaker says Ferdinand that he is a fake and he has come to that island as a spy so he can take it from him. He also says that he will chain Ferdinand's neck and feet together. Then Ferdinand tries to draw his sword but Prospero stops him with a magic spell on him. Then Prospero knocks Ferdinand's sword away with his magic wand and Ferdinand becomes totally under his control.
c. What does he meant by 'he'll value the prize more'?
= He means that Ferdinand would value and respect the love of his daughter Miranda more if he faces more hurdles to get the same.
Reflect and answer
7. What opinion do you form about Prospero? Would you say that he was an evil man? Give reasons for your answer.
= Prospero was the earlier Duke of Milan. He was the victim of the conspiracy of his evil brother Antonio and the Alonso, the King of Naples. He loved his brother Antonio more than anything else in the world. He trusted him to manage his kingdom. Then Prospero kept busy in reading books and improving his mind. He neglected everything. Antonio started to think that he was the Duke as he was carrying out all the duties. Then he forced Prospero to leave his country.
All these are definitely very ominous done by Antonio. It was Prospero's turn to take revenge. There is no offence in that. But as the story proceeds, we can see that Prospero ordered Ariel not to harm anyone and keep the ship intact.
More over, he made Ferdinand, the son of his enemy, fell for his own daughter Miranda. This proves that Prospero was not at all an evil man. Rather he was trying to plot to solve everything in a good way.
8. Why was Ariel following Prospero's orders? Was he right in doing what Prospero ordered him to do?
= Ariel was the servant of the witch Sycorax who was banished from Algiers for doing things too horrible to mention. The witch imprisoned Ariel in a split pine tree because Ariel refused to obey her. Ariel was imprisoned for twelve years in great pain inside the tree. Then the witch died and left Ariel there. It was Prospero who freed Ariel from the torture of the witch. Ariel was thankful to Prospero for rescuing him. So he was ready to do whatever Prospero commanded him.
Prospero was the earlier Duke of Milan. He was the victim of the treachery and conspiracy of his evil brother Antonio and the Alonso, the King of Naples. It was Prospero's turn to take revenge. There is no offence in that. But as the story proceeds, we can see that Prospero ordered Ariel not to harm anyone and keep the ship intact. More over, he made Ferdinand, the son of his enemy, fell for his own daughter Miranda. So there was no wrong for Ariel in doing what Prospero ordered him to do. And he was ultimately doing all these to get his freedom which Prospero promised him to give.
About the author :
William Shakespeare (baptized on 26 April 1564 - 23 April 1616) was an English poet, playwright and actor, widely regarded as both the greatest writer in the English language, and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet, and the 'Brad of Avon'. His works, including collaborations, consist of approximately 39 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, other verse. His plays have been translated into every major living language, and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.